{"id":28936,"date":"2024-09-04T20:52:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T15:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=28936"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:52:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T15:22:08","slug":"micronutrients-malnutrition-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-09-2024\/micronutrients-malnutrition-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Micronutrients Malnutrition in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent article in The Lancet has estimated that the <strong>Indian population\u2019s consumption of 15 dietary micronutrients is inadequate.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Over 5 billion people worldwide, <\/strong>which is <strong>68%<\/strong> of the global population, do not consume enough iodine; 67% do not consume enough vitamin E; and 66%, calcium.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More than 4 billion people (65% of the population) <\/strong>do not consume enough iron; 55%, riboflavin; 54%, folate; and 53%, vitamin C.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Within the same country and age groups,<\/strong> estimated inadequate intakes were higher for women than men for iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium; and higher for men than women for magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calcium intake inadequacy<\/strong> is reported to be <strong>highest in countries in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and east Asia and the Pacific.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also, Intake inadequacy was high across all age\u2013sex groups in these countries, but highest among people aged 10\u201330 years.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Micronutrients<\/strong><br>&#8211; Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in very small amounts.\u00a0<br>&#8211; <strong>Vitamins<\/strong> are organic compounds that are often categorized into two groups:<br>1. <strong>Water-Soluble Vitamins: <\/strong>These include Vitamin C and the B vitamins (like B12, B6, folate). They dissolve in water and are typically not stored in the body, so regular intake through diet is necessary.<br>2. <strong>Fat-Soluble Vitamins:<\/strong> These include Vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are absorbed along with dietary fat and can be stored in the body&#8217;s fatty tissues and liver.<br>&#8211; <strong>Minerals are inorganic elements<\/strong> that are also classified into:<br>1. <strong>Major Minerals: <\/strong>Such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are needed in larger amounts.<br>2. <strong>Trace Minerals: <\/strong>Such as iron, zinc, copper, and selenium, which are needed in smaller amounts but are still vital for health.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Micronutrients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They perform a range of functions,<\/strong> including enabling the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for normal growth and development.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They support metabolic processes, bone development and maintenance, several micronutrients influence brain health and cognitive function.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Iron, vitamin B12, and folate are vital for the production of red blood cells and the prevention of anemia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vitamins C and A, as well as zinc, play roles in tissue repair and wound healing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adequate intake of certain micronutrients can help prevent chronic diseases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Micronutrient deficiencies <\/strong>can cause visible and dangerous health conditions, but they can also lead to less clinically notable reductions in energy level, mental clarity and overall capacity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This can lead to reduced educational outcomes, reduced work productivity and increased risk from other diseases and health conditions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Many of these deficiencies are preventable <\/strong>through nutrition education and consumption of a healthy diet containing diverse foods, as well as food fortification and supplementation, where needed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government of India Initiatives targeting Micronutrients Malnutrition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyan): <\/strong>Launched in 2018, it aims to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia, and low birth weight by improving the nutritional status of children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS):<\/strong> It provides comprehensive services for children under six years of age, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. It aims to improve the nutritional status and health of these groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Iron Plus Initiative (NIPI): <\/strong>It was launched to combat iron deficiency anemia, especially in children and women. Initiative includes providing iron and folic acid supplements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food Fortification Programs: <\/strong>Fortification programs focus on adding iodine to salt (iodized salt), iron and folic acid to wheat flour, and Vitamin A to edible oils.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) oversees the implementation of these fortification standards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS):<\/strong> The scheme provides free lunches that are fortified with essential nutrients to schoolchildren, aiming to enhance their nutritional intake and promote regular school attendance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB): <\/strong>The program includes regular iron and folic acid supplementation, deworming, and efforts to enhance dietary intake of iron-rich foods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also emphasizes the need for community-based interventions and awareness campaigns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/study-analyses-micronutrient-deficiency-in-global-population\/article68585481.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent article in The Lancet has estimated that the Indian population\u2019s consumption of 15 dietary micronutrients is inadequate.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28937,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28936\/revisions\/28937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}